OUR PARTING WITH THE HAMRANS. 293 



ment to us all. Vivian and myself have been well 

 occupied in sorting the horns and skins, which have 

 gradually increased here into a most imposing pile, and 

 deciding which we will leave behind ; afterwards in clean- 

 ing and packing up all weapons no longer required, and 

 in distributing amongst the people the remaining col- 

 lection of small presents, the Sheik receiving the lion's 

 share. My labours were added to not only by our own 

 sick, but by constant arrivals from the village, and their 

 confidence in my powers was evidently unbounded, for 

 they brought a camel to me with a huge tumour over 

 the left hind-knee, for which an ounce of lead in the 

 right place was the only treatment I could suggest, 

 though it would entail the death of the sufferer. Then 

 came the final partings, first with the Sheik, who at the 

 last moment tried to sell us a donkey, and then with 

 some of the men we leave behind, including the faithful 

 Essafi. Saying good-bye to such a constant companion 

 of one's daily rambles brought the fact more definitely 

 home to our minds than anything else that we were 

 really turning our backs, and probably for ever, on the 

 country inhabited by the splendid race of Arabs of which 

 he is such a good representative ; and in the expression 

 of his face on the last shaking of hands with us all, 

 there could be read something more than sorrow for the 

 departure of the well-known dollar-bags. The other 

 hunter, Mohamed Fagerole, remains with us at present, 



